Splices are used amongst others in eye splices and end-for-end splices for e.g. ropes, grommets, hawsers and round slings. Splices are also used in the production of endless ropes.
A method to make a splice in a laid rope is known from “The Splicing Handbook of Barbara Merry”, ISBN 0-07-135438-7. Herein a splice is made by splitting a rope in its single strands and tucking these single strands in another part of the rope in case of an eye splice, or in another rope in cases where two ropes are to be connected with each other. In the known method typically all constituting strands are separately tucked in another rope or in another part of the same rope to make an eye.
A connection made with a known splice in a rope has a lower strength than the strength of the original rope. This means that the strength retention, hereinafter referred to as “efficiency”, of the known splices, being the relative strength of the splice and the strength of the original rope, is below 100%.
The invention aims to provide a method for making a splice in a laid rope construction with at least two-strand ropes, which method results in a splice with a higher efficiency than the known splice.
This aim is achieved with a method comprising the steps of:    a) Splitting one end of a first rope end in a first and a second part comprising respectively a first and a second number of strands, the first number of strands being at most one more than the second number of strands;    b) Tucking the first part from one side into an opening in a second rope, such that the opening has a first number of strands of the second rope on one side and a second number of strands on the other side, the first and second number differing at most by one;    c) Tucking the second part from the other side into the opening in the second rope;    d) Repeating steps b) and c) at least 3, respectively at least 3+1 times, whereby the respective openings in the second rope are separated such that the first and the second part have crossed over at least all the strands of the second rope once and the first and second part leave the second rope at respective last openings.
With the method according to the invention it was surprisingly found that the efficiency is higher than the efficiency of the known splice.